Regulator valve apparatus for locomotives



May 9, 1933. E, A. ROBINSON 1,907,671

REGULATOR VALVE APPARATUS FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed Aug. ll, 1952 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented May e, 1933 1,907,671

ERIC ARTHUR ROBINSON, F Mi'RYLBGNE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN THROTTLE COMPANY, INC., OF LTET YORK, N. Y.

REGULATOR VALVE APPARATUS FOR LOCOMOT'IVES Application filed August 11, 1932, Serial No. 628,348, and in Great Britain March 15, 1932.

This invention relates to improvements in means for admitting steam to the dry-pipes regulator valve apparatus for locomotives and so to the valve chests and cylinders of the kind in which the passage of steam of a locomotive when the latter is drifting, to the locomotive cylinders is controlled by wherein there is associated With the regulaa valve or valves provided with means for tor lever, or equivalent, means adapted to 55 placing the valve or valves substantlally be operated by movement of the said lever, in balance as to steam pressures prior to or equivalent, whereby without opening a the opening of such valve or valves, there main regulator Valve an apprOpliate quanbeing associated with the valve or valves a tlty of steam can be admitted to the drypilot valve adapted when opened to admit pipes and the engine valve chests and cylin-so steam to a balancing chamber of a valve ders. housing. Further according to the invention means When a locomotive is drifting, vacuum for admitting steam to the valve chests and may be set up in the cylinders and valve cylinders of a locomotive may be employed chests by the reciprocations of the engine 1n regulator valve apparatus having a pilot 65 pistons, and, as the existence of suc-h vacuum valve controlling the supply of steam to a has known disadvantages, steps should be balancing chamber of the valve housing, and taken by the driver to prevent its creation, Construction and arrangement being such or to break the vacuum should it have been that on opening the pilot valve and without created. It is a common practice to open to opening a main regulator valve a small 70 a very slight extent the regulator valve of quantity of steam can be supplied directly the locomotive so as to admit a small quanto theengine valve chests and cylinders, such tity of steam to the valve chests. Some locoquantity being capable of regulation by motives, however, are provided with sepa- Varying the opening .of the pilot valve. rate valves for admitting steam or air to the The apparatus according to the present valve chests or cylinders when the locomo- HfWentOIl may be embodled 5in regulator tives are drifting. valve apparatus of the type in which a plu- Th@ admission of Steam to the valve rahty orn relatively small lift valves is em- Chests when the locomotive is drifting also is ployed, each valve being provided with a 30 of advantage in that it keeps the valve chests balancing piston and the said valves and the 8o and cylinders warm; further should the pilot valve being operated by a rock shaft locomotive be fitted with a steam superheatprovided with cams or fingers for lifting er the steam so supplied may pass through the valves. the superheater and prevent overheating of By means of apparatus according to the the superheater elements. present invention the driver is enabled to ef- Where the regulating valve is a lift valve feet a supply of steam to the engine cylor where a plurality of lift valves constitute inders when drifting suieient to prevent the the regulator valve apparatus, even a small formation of, or to destroy or partially deopening of the valve or of one of the valves stroy, vacuum in such cylinders without o may supply an unnecessarily large quantity Opening the main regulator valve or any of steam to the valve chest. One of the main regulator valves.

It is an object of the present invention to The invention is further defined in the provide means associated with the regulator appended claims and eonstructional details valve, or regulator valve apparatus, of a of embodiments of the invention are de- 5 locomotive whereby a small and finely reguscribed hereinafter with reference to the ac- 95 lated quantity of steam can be admitted to Companying drawing, in which:

the valve chests and cylinders of the engine Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a without opening the main regulator valve, regulator valve apparatus embodying the inor any one of the main regulator valves. vention.

50 The invention principally consists in Fig. 2 lis a cross section through the valve 100 spindle, the section being taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. is a view of a portion of a locomotive regulator valve apparatus similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but Aillustrating another embodiment of the invention hereinafter described.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustratinga further embodiment of the invention which will be described.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views on lines 5 5 and 6 6 respectively of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 7 isa fragmentary view on a reduced scale showing portions of the steam pipes and-pipe connections to them used in connection with the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the regulator valve housing comprises a steam supply chamber 1, a delivery chamber 2 and a balancing chamber 3, separated by appropriate walls in the valve housing. 4 is the pilot valve of the regulator valve apparatus, and 5 5 (Fig. 1) are two of the main regulator-'valves It will be understood that while only two of these valves are shown, there are in practice usually more than two. 6 is the. valve operating shaft. 7, 8 are cams or fingers on the shaft 6 adapted to operate the pilot valve 4 and the regulator valves 5 respectively. The manner 1n which these cams actuate the valves is understood by those familiar with this art and need not be explained here ,in detail. Sutlice vit to say that a rocking or partial rotation of the shaft 6in the desired direction and by the desired amount is effected by suitable mechanism operated by means of a lever located in the cab and causes the cams to engage the. surface-s above or below them to move the valves. A number of prior United States patents illustrate this. See

for example the patent to Charles Ringel,

Vprovided with wings 11 as will be clearly seen from the cross section of the stem shown iniFig. 2. 121s a piston or headvprovided on the stem of the pilot valve 4 and adapted' slidably to fit in the bore in the partition 10. 13 is a pipe connectedV by an appropriate union with the interior'of the drifting steam chamber, said pipe 13 being provided with suitable branches 14 (see fFig. 7)"whic'h are led into the main steam pipes 15, and have their ends turned as shown yat 16 so. as to deliver steam in the 'pipes 15 in the direction towards valve chests of the engine. 17, 17 indicates pipes leading from the force feed lubricator of the engine and adapted to discharge oil into the cylinder steam pipes 15. Preferably the discharge portion 16 of the branch pipes lll conveying steam for drifting purposes is arranged so that the steam discharged by such portion 16 gathers oil delivered through the pipes 17 and carries such oil forward into the valve chests and engine cylinders. The arrangement may be such that the driftinfr steam will tend to atomize or emulsify tlie oil supplied by the mechanical or force feed lubricator from the pipes 1.7.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 briefly is as follows: 'On the driver operating his regulator lever or the equivalent means provided in the cab for operating and controlling the regulator valve apparatus, the first portion of the movement given to the shaft 6 will bring the. cams 7 into contact with the upper head 18 of the two heads 18 and 19 on the pilot valve between which the cams 7 are disposed. After the cams engage the head 18 further movement given to the shaft 6 by continued movement of the regulator lever or equivalent will raise the pilot valve 4 from its seat as will be understood and steam Awill flow past the pilot valve into the drifting steam chamber 9. Should the driver be desirous of opening a main regulator' valve, for example the valve 5, he will give sufiicient lift to the pilot valve 4 to carry the piston head 12 on the pilot valve stem out of the bore in the partition 10 sothat steam flowing past the pilot valve 4 will flow through the drifting steam chamber 9,

past the Wings 11 on the pilot valve stemA into the balancing chamber 3. The 'subsequent operation of the parts is as usual land 1s not affected by the presence of myvinvention. Should the engine be drifting with steam shut off, and the driver desire to supply steam to the engine cylindersto prevent the formation of vacuum therein, he will operate the regulator lever or equivalent toraise the-pilot'valve to a small extent A from its seat, the Aamount of lift being insuflicient to carry thep'iston head 12 out of the bore inthe ypartition 10. Steam-'flowing past the pilot'valvel intothe drifting `steam chamber 9 consequently will flow 'through thepipes 13' and 14 into vthe main `steam pipes 15 leadingfto-the engine valve chests. The quantity lof steam supplied when the engine is drifting may be varied by varying the opening of thel pilot valve 4. It will? be appreciated that the pipe 13 is constantly open to the drifting steam chamber 9and Ythus when the pilot valve is open forthe purpose of supplying steam to the'l balancing chamber 3't0 assist the'opening of the main throttle valves steam will be'supplied tothe engine through pipe 13 in addition to the steam supplied by the opening of one or more of the main throttle valves which steam passes to the engine through the delivery chamber 2 and the main steam pipes 15 which are connected thereto.

Referring now to Fig. 3 the embodiment of the invention therein illustrated is suitable for converting an existing valve apparatus into one comprising drifting valve means according to the present invention. The partition wall between the steam supply chamber 1 and the balancing chamber 3 of the valve housing has an opening in which in the original form of the apparatus there is a bushing at the upper end of which there is the valve seat. Beneath this opening is a bracket or lug 2l with an opening in it which heretofore served as a guide for the stein of the pilot valve. These two openings 0l' 1.)()l`tS llt lll lll.\Y (OlltlllLlltlll 'illl l() lli.'- coinmodate a chamber used in connection with the invention` the improvement including drifting valve means. A tubular member or sleeve 20 is mounted in the partition wall where the valve bushing was formerly located and extends into the bore of the bracket 21. The pipe 13 is connected to chamber 20 by a suitable union member screwed into the wall oi the valve housing at and having an extension 2l titted into an aperture in the member 20. The tubular member 20 provides at its upper end a seat for the pilot valve fi and in its lor-:cr portion the bore adapted to receive the piston head 12 on the pilot valve stem.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fie. 3 operates in the same manner as that shown in Fie. l and thus descriptionv of its operation is unnecessary.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 4. In the construction illustrated a pocket 25 is provided in the balancing chamber 3 of the valve housing, this pocket forming an extension of and being constantly open to the delivery chainber 2. A tubular member 26 is provided through which the stem of the pilot valve 4 extends, 12a being a piston or head on the pilot Valve stem slidably fitting the lower portion of the tubular Inember 26. Ports 27 rovide communication between the interior of the tubular member 26 and the balancing chamber 3 and ports 28 provide communication between the bore of the tubular member 26 and the pocket. 25. ln the closed position of the regulator lever or the equivalent in the driver"s cab the parts occupy the position shown in the drawing, the pilot valve 4 being closed. On the regulator lever being operated to supply a small quantity of steam for drifting purposes the valve operating shaft 6 will be operated to raise the pilot valve l from its seat to a small extent 5 and steam will flow past the pilot valve into the balancing chamber 3 and the pocket 25 and from the pocket 25 into the delivery chamber 2, whence it will pass to the engine valve chests by way of the usual main steam pipes. The quantity of steam supplied for drifting is varied by moving the pilot valve between its closed position and the position in which piston 12a completely closes ports 28. On starting from the closed position the regulation occurs first at the valve. The restriction of the ports 28 by piston 12a is at this initial stage of no effect as sufficient passage through the ports is present to pass all the steam passed by the valve 4. The amount of opening of the valve therefore effects the regulation at this time. As the valve is raised further, a point will be reached where the amount of .steam passed hv the valve is in excess of what the oritices 2S will allow to pass with the amount of re-= striction of these orifices at such time. From then on the regulation of the amount of drifting steam is effected b v the piston head 12a. lVhen the shaft G has opened the first of the main regulator valves the pilot valve will have been raised to an extent such that the piston head 12n will close the ports 28 and the regulator valve apparatus will function in the same manner as described in the earlier specifications above referred to.

'lt will be undeiistood that when the driver desires to supply a small quantity of steam to the engine when the latter is drifting he will open the pilot valve to an apl'iropriate extent, but he should not move the lever sufficiently to open any of the main regulator valves.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the constructional details above described and shown in the drawing as such details might be varied without dcparting from the invention.

lVliat l claim is:

1. In a locomotive multiple regulator' of the class described having a plurality of valves controlling the steamY flow froni the boiler to the engines, each valve having a balancing piston subie-c to pressure in a common balancing chamber, an intermediate chamber, a passage for supplying steam to it. a passage connecting it with the balancing chamber, a duct connecting it with the two steam ehe/sts and a duplicate pilot valve comprising a disk-valve portion controlling the inlet to said in ermediate chamber and a piston-hind portion reciprocable into and out of said stwoiid-named passage and thereby controlling the outlet from it to the balai'icing chamber. the first opening movement of the duplicate valve raising the disk valve and opening;r the port from the steam supply to the interi'nediate chamber, and further movement withdrawing the piston head from the said second passage and opening communication from the intermediate chamber to the balancing chamber'.

2. In locomotive multiple regulator valve apparatus of the kind wherein a plurality of relatively small lift valves is employed to control the supply of steam to the engine., the valves being disposed in a chambered housing and each of them being provided With a balancing piston, the balancing steam being controlled by a pilot valve, said valves and pilot valve being operated by a rockshaft provided with cams or fingers to lift them, the combination of means partitioning off a space in the housing to form a drifting steam chamber, the upper Wall of said drifting steam chamber being ported and the lower Wall having a cylindrical bore alined with said port, piping connecting the drifting steam chamber to the two valve chests, the pilot valve seating on said port. a piston connected to said pilot valve and reciprocable in the upper part of the cylindrical bore and guide Wings secured to the lower side of said piston and engaging the cylindrical bore, said piston Working in :laid bore and constituting a valve preventing steam admission from the drifting valve chamber to the balancing chamber until a predetermined lift of the pilot valve has been exceeded.

3. Locomotive regulator valve apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the drifting steam chamber is formed by a tubular member removably mounted in the valve housing and comprising a seat for the pilot valve and the bore in which works the piston connected to the valve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ERIC ARTHUR ROBINSON. 

